Azo Anion Radical Complex of Rhodium as a Molecular Memory Switching Device: Isolation, Characterization, and Evaluation of Current–Voltage Characteristics

Two rare examples of azo anion diradical complexes of
Rh­(III) are
reported. These complexes showed excellent memory switching properties
with a large ON/OFF ratio and are suitable for RAM/ROM applications.
Their electronic structures have been elucidated using a host of physical
methods, including X-ray crystallography, variable-temperature magnetic
susceptibility measurement, cyclic voltammetry, electron paramagnetic
resonance spectroscopy, and density functional theory. The results
indicate a predominant triplet state description of the systems with
two ferromagnetically coupled radicals.